Multi Scale Evaluation of the Impact of High-Intensity Mining on Vegetation Carbon Sequestration Capacity

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report (Previous Reviewer 4)

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear Editors and Authors,

 

Manuscript: Multi scale evaluation of the impact of high-intensity mining on vegetation carbon sequestration capacity.

 

Despite receiving a very bad evaluation of the previous version, the authors started a second attempt with cosmetic changes. Since I previously had very specific comments on the initial chapters, I must admit that the correction made is insufficient.

 

Introduction

In the introductory chapter, the authors are still sparing in their treatment of current knowledge on the subject discussed in the research. They cite literature from 2012 and even 2009 as the current period “at present” (citations 2 and 8). When it comes to ecological services, they cite Chinese works that deal with quite detailed issues but do not explain the context of these services. I propose to add others literature:

 

-          Li, Q.; Hu, Z.; Zhang, F.; Guo, Y.; Liang, Y. A Study on Historical Big Data Analysis of Surface Ecological Damage in the Coal Mining Area of Lvliang City Based on Two Mining Modes. Land 2024, 13, 1411. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091411

-          Gray, M., Fox, N., Gordon, J. E., Brilha, J., Charkraborty, A.,Garcia, M.-G., Hjort, J., Kubaliková, L., Seijmonsbergen, A. C., & Urban, J. (2024). Boundary of ecosystem services: A response to Chen et al. Journal of Environmental Management, 351, 119666.
https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.jenvman.2023.119666

In this chapter the research area is indicated but without information where it is located. We know that it is in China but another reader will not understand it.

 

Material and methods

 

In this chapter the authors decided, out of spite, not to fix anything. So my comments are the same. In this chapter, the authors introduce some information about the research area. They provide a number of important pieces of information, such as annual coal production, annual rainfall, and evaporation. These data are not supported by any citations. Much of this information is described by the adjectives large, medium, and small - unfortunately, these are studies in environmental engineering, not a military technical academy. It is impossible to understand the analyses carried out further without a correct description of morphology, geology, and hydrography, and importantly, climate.

Figure 2 (previously Figure 1), which was created on the basis of DTM, does not contain any location data, as the authors refer to in this chapter. It is not a topographic map, but at most a hypsometric one. Such errors undermine the credibility of the analyses conducted by the authors, if their education in geography is insufficient.

Further patterns and assumptions of analytical models emerge. We have to believe that the authors know what they are doing, because the citations are few and it follows that they constructed most of the formulas themselves.

 

a chapter (3) cannot begin with the words: “Based on ArcGIS software, the spatial distribution characteristics of the annual aver-age changes in vegetation NPP in Shangwan coal mine over the past 24 years were analyzed.

Maybe: Based on statistical data…

Figure 7 is missing an explanation of the system axes.

 

In the conclusions, the authors slightly softened their assessments, which should be considered positive.

Mentioning only Chinese works in this part indicates that the authors only see Asians among their readers. In general, the use of literature is the weakest point of this manuscript. Out of 30 items almost all of them are Chinese. After checking, it turns out that only some of them are in English. This is also an argument that the article should be published in some regional Chinese magazine.

authors do not use spaces for area and length units, the References does not use spaces between names or dates, the whole thing contains many editing errors at a high school level.

Author Response

1. Introduction

 

• In the introductory chapter, the authors are still sparing in their treatment of current knowledge on the subject discussed in the research. They cite literature from 2012 and even 2009 as the current period “at present” (citations 2 and 8). When it comes to ecological services, they cite Chinese works that deal with quite detailed issues but do not explain the context of these services. I propose to add others literature:

         Li, Q.; Hu, Z.; Zhang, F.; Guo, Y.; Liang, Y. A Study on Historical Big Data Analysis of Surface Ecological Damage in the Coal Mining Area of Lvliang City Based on Two Mining Modes. Land 2024, 13, 1411. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091411

          Gray, M., Fox, N., Gordon, J. E., Brilha, J., Charkraborty, A.,Garcia, M.-G., Hjort, J., Kubaliková, L., Seijmonsbergen, A. C., & Urban, J. (2024). Boundary of ecosystem services: A response to Chen et al. Journal of Environmental Management, 351, 119666.https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.jenvman.2023.119666

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have adjusted and added other content the introduction part:

The sustainable development’s definition has been promulgated after the publication of the Brundtland Commission Report by the World Commission on Environment and Development [1]. The sustainable development means the present development should not break future generations' ability which they can meet their own needs. More specifically, the sustainability economic concept focuses on the welfare value of market opportunities hat each generation inherit to the next one [2]. Thus, if we exclude large sections of nature, we simply undervalue nature, to the detriment of a comprehensive view of its importance to society [3]. By reviewing the modern development of nature conservation, Mace found each phases choses “nature” to the synonym for the biosphere [4]. In 2020s however, ‘natural’, ‘nature’s services’ or environmental’ should be introduced as a holistic [5]. Considering abiotic nature progress, researchers recognize the potential role of the geosciences in achieving Sustainable Development Goals [6-8].

For many years, developing economies in Asia have been the main consumers of coal worldwide, while at the same time developed economies (especially EU countries) have moved away from the commodity; this is the main factor leading to the change in global thermal coal trade trends [9]. The main reason for the excessive carbon dioxide emissions in China at present is the extensive burning of fossil fuels. Due to China's resource structure characterized by a shortage of oil and gas, as well as relatively abundance in coal, coal has become the main energy source in China [10]. Coal production and consumption account for 70% -80% of China's total carbon emissions [11], which determines that in the process of China's future sustainable economic and social development, coal will still occupy the leading position in energy. This characteristic has led to an increasing intensity and scale of coal resource extraction, and a decreasing ecological environment in mining areas [12]. This greatly affects the ecological restoration and environmental governance decisions in mining areas, so studying the changes in the ecological environment of mining areas and conducting long-term monitoring is an important and necessary task.

There are also many perspectives for conducting research on the ecological environment of mining areas, such as monitoring the ecological environment of mining areas, evaluating the quality of the ecological environment of mining areas, assessing the ecological risks of mining areas, promoting the health of mining area ecosystems, and assessing the value of ecological services; The evaluation method mainly involves establishing a corresponding evaluation index system for monitoring and evaluation, including methods such as ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity [13-17]. However, these methods have significant limitations in the dynamic monitoring and evaluation of the ecological environment in mining areas. Therefore, this article uses the NPP to measure the Vegetation carbon sequestration capacity in coal mining area.

There are four main types of models used to measure the vegetation NPP: climate–productivity relationship models, ecophysiological process models, remote sensing application models, and light utilization efficiency models. Climate–productivity relationship models are established based on the relationship between the net primary productivity of vegetation and the climate in the early stage of research, and based on these models, some papers analyzed the current situation of the vegetation NPP in China and provided targeted suggestions for improving it under different meteorological environments. However, although the parameters of this type of model are easy to obtain, the estimation process is based on point and surface [18]. Therefore, some scholars have established ecophysiological process models, which are based on the vegetation growth process combined with soil factors based on climatic factors [19-20]. The estimation results of this type of model are relatively accurate. Although the impact of climate change on the vegetation NPP can be further stimulated, this model is rather complex in that it is challenging to obtain the parameter data and difficult to convert the scale of the study area. Thus, it is impossible to research the mining area. There are two main methods of combining remote sensing application models, which include the optimized production efficiency model (PEM) and FOREST–BGC model [21-22]. Combined with the LAI obtained with remote sensing, this model can measure the daily average and the annual average vegetation NPP [23]. However, the leaf area index (LAI), one of the critical parameters of this model, greatly influences the overall measurement of the NPP, so the measurement accuracy of the LAI is exceptionally high. In the CASA model, although the vegetation parameters are easy to obtain, and the scale conversion of the research area is convenient, the vegetation NPP cannot be simulated and predicted. Therefore, selecting an appropriate model to estimate the vegetation NPP has essential research significance for the restoration of the ecological environment and the rational development of natural resources [24-25].

Li Xiaoting et al. studied the comparison between the mining area and non-subsidence area of the 113101 first mining face in Bojianghaizi Mine, Ordos City. The results showed that during the growing season, mining activities had a significant impact on the vegetation index above the working face [26]. Quanzhi et al. studied the comparison between the different mining methods of 110 working face in Lvliang City. The results showed an innovative method can reduce surface ecological damage [27]. Li Quansheng et al. extracted the impact of open-pit mining on vegetation changes and quantitatively analyzed the ecological cumulative effects [28]. There are also studies emphasizing that inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi can increase plant biomass and effectively improve rhizosphere soil quality, targeting surface environments in areas such as the Shendong coalfield subsidence zone and the Maowusu sandy land coal mining subsidence zone [29-32]. Dulias R. studied the mining subsidence effect on Rybnik Plateau's relief. The results showed several areas' lowering rates are generally higher than estimated rates. The direct and indirect human activities decided the terrain changes in dozen years [33].

 

• In this chapter the research area is indicated but without information where it is located. We know that it is in China but another reader will not understand it.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I added location information and fixed figures “2.1. General Situation of Shendong Mine”:

Shendong Mine is located in Ulanmulun Town, Ejin Horo Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. The geographical location of Shendong mining area is in the transitional zone between the hilly and gully areas of the Loess Plateau and the Mu Us Desert in the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River, Located at 39°23′N-39°25′N, 110°04′E—110°06′E. Most of the surface area is covered by aeolian sand, with complex terrain, crisscrossing valleys, and mostly source erosion.

 

2. Material and methods

• In this chapter the authors decided, out of spite, not to fix anything. So my comments are the same. In this chapter, the authors introduce some information about the research area. They provide a number of important pieces of information, such as annual coal production, annual rainfall, and evaporation. These data are not supported by any citations. Much of this information is described by the adjectives large, medium, and small - unfortunately, these are studies in environmental engineering, not a military technical academy. It is impossible to understand the analyses carried out further without a correct description of morphology, geology, and hydrography, and importantly, climate.

Response: Thanks for your comments, the data citations in the article 2.2:

The annual coal production information is from the National Mineral Exploration and Mining Information Publicity System (kyqgs.mnr.gov.cn). The basic Meteorological, DEM and NDVI data are all from the public website below. Because the spatial resolution data I used in the article is 30m, so that I download the basic data and treat by myself. Thus, I did not provide the citations.

Meteorological data includes precipitation, sunshine hours, temperature, etc., all sourced from the National Earth System Science Data Center.

DEM data is sourced from the Geospatial Data Cloud（ https://www.gscloud.cn/）ASTER GDEM elevation data.

The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is derived from the Landsat 5, 7, and 8 series. The data is processed based on the GEE (Google Earth Engine) platform for the years 2000-2023.

 

I checked the information I described again, the meteorological and NDVI data did not use any “large, medium or small” words (line 220-237). Thus, I changed the “coal mine information description”: Since 2003, the mine has been operating in four mining areas. The current production capacity is 13 million tons per year. It is a large-scale coal mine that adopts comprehensive mechanized mining methods and belongs to an efficient and high-intensity mining mode. There is high surface subsidence value in mining area, and the surface cracks are severely damaged, which will inevitably have a certain impact on the ecological environment.

 

• Figure 2 (previously Figure 1), which was created on the basis of DTM, does not contain any location data, as the authors refer to in this chapter. It is not a topographic map, but at most a hypsometric one. Such errors undermine the credibility of the analyses conducted by the authors, if their education in geography is insufficient.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have remade the figure,

 

 

• Further patterns and assumptions of analytical models emerge. We have to believe that the authors know what they are doing, because the citations are few and it follows that they constructed most of the formulas themselves.

Response: Thanks for your comments, there are three models used in this article, each model has citated in the article: The CASA model [18,34-35]; the NPP mutation test model [36]; the PIM model [37]. This article did not construct any formula.

The reason to use CASA model is at introduction part, line 98-102; the reason to use PIM model is at introduction part, line 200-205. The CASA model is to calculate vegetation NPP in Shangwan coal mine. The NPP mutation test model is to determine whether there are NPP mutations in the NPP sequence, so that to analysis the impact distance and duration of mining on surface vegetation NPP. The PIM model is to calculate the subsidence value in Fourth district of Shangwan coal mine, which can instead of the impact of mining activities.

 

3. a chapter (3) cannot begin with the words: “Based on ArcGIS software, the spatial distribution characteristics of the annual aver-age changes in vegetation NPP in Shangwan coal mine over the past 24 years were analyzed.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have fixed the text,

Based on statistical data, the spatial distribution characteristics of the annual average changes in vegetation NPP in Shangwan coal mine over the past 24 years were analyzed.

 

4. Figure 7 is missing an explanation of the system axes.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I added the explanation,

Figure 7 shows the calculation curve of surface subsidence W and horizontal deformationεof the subsidence basin profile caused by mining at 12401 working face. Above the horizontal axis is the calculation point number, below is the horizontal distance scale, and the first measuring point is the distance from the starting point. The vertical axis W represents subsidence, i represents inclination along the calculation direction.

 

5. Mentioning only Chinese works in this part indicates that the authors only see Asians among their readers. In general, the use of literature is the weakest point of this manuscript. Out of 30 items almost all of them are Chinese. After checking, it turns out that only some of them are in English. This is also an argument that the article should be published in some regional Chinese magazine.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I noticed this is a very serious issue. After I fixed this article, there are 31 Chinese literatures and 14 international items. I have already read related international literature, including four items of your advice, which are really helpful. I have to say the international literature I citated not just for achieve“numbers”, if there are any citation is not suitable I would like to adjust again until you are willing to recommend this article.

 

6. authors do not use spaces for area and length units, the References does not use spaces between names or dates, the whole thing contains many editing errors at a high school level.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have fixed all figure and checked the references’ form.

Figure 3 Distribution of mining areas in Shangwan coal mine

Figure. 4 Spatial distribution of vegetation NPP as five-year scale in Shangwan coal mine

Figure.6 Sample block layout of NPP of subsidence region over Face 12401

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report (Previous Reviewer 3)

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This manuscript has made significant improvements compared to the previous version, and it is recommended to be accepted

Author Response

Thanks for your comments and valuable suggestions

Reviewer 3 Report (Previous Reviewer 2)

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript has been revised as required and agreed to be published.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Thanks for your comments and valuable suggestions

Reviewer 4 Report (New Reviewer)

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

1.            In this manuscript, NPP is taken as an index to measure the vegetation carbon sequestration capacity in coal mining area. NPP is a key, and as a result NPP should be described in detail. For esample,there are different methods to calculate NPP, and the improved CASA model is used in the study.Why?  Moreover, to calculate NPP, each parameter involved should to be described. Meteorological factors can acquired from Meteorological data, but how to calculate or acquire FPAR,ε_max?

2.            The discussion is not enough, which is the soul of the research paper. More discussions should be added in this manuscript.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Average

Author Response

1. In this manuscript, NPP is taken as an index to measure the vegetation carbon sequestration capacity in coal mining area. NPP is a key, and as a result NPP should be described in detail. For esample,there are different methods to calculate NPP, and the improved CASA model is used in the study.Why? Moreover, to calculate NPP, each parameter involved should to be described. Meteorological factors can acquired from Meteorological data, but how to calculate or acquire FPAR,εmax?

Response: Thanks for your comments, I added the introduction of NPP’s calculate methods, and explained how to calculate FPAR,εmax.

 

There are four main types of models used to measure the vegetation NPP: climate–productivity relationship models, ecophysiological process models, remote sensing ap-plication models, and light utilization efficiency models. Climate–productivity relation-ship models are established based on the relationship between the net primary productivity of vegetation and the climate in the early stage of research, and based on these models, some papers analyzed the current situation of the vegetation NPP in China and provided targeted suggestions for improving it under different meteorological environments. However, although the parameters of this type of model are easy to obtain, the estimation process is based on point and surface [18]. Therefore, some scholars have established eco-physiological process models, which are based on the vegetation growth process combined with soil factors based on climatic factors [19-20]. The estimation results of this type of model are relatively accurate. Although the impact of climate change on the vegetation NPP can be further stimulated, this model is rather complex in that it is challenging to obtain the parameter data and difficult to convert the scale of the study area. Thus, it is impossible to research the mining area. There are two main methods of combining remote sensing application models, which include the optimized production efficiency model (PEM) and FOREST–BGC model [21-22]. Combined with the LAI obtained with remote sensing, this model can measure the daily average and the annual average vegetation NPP [23]. However, the leaf area index (LAI), one of the critical parameters of this model, greatly influences the overall measurement of the NPP, so the measurement accuracy of the LAI is exceptionally high. In the CASA model, although the vegetation parameters are easy to obtain, and the scale conversion of the research area is convenient, the vegetation NPP cannot be simulated and predicted. Therefore, selecting an appropriate model to estimate the vegetation NPP has essential research significance for the restoration of the ecological environment and the rational development of natural resources [24-25].

 

FPAR (x, t) is the absorption ratio of incident photosynthetically active radiation by the vegetation layer, ε_max is the maximum light energy utilization efficiency (gC/MJ) under ideal surface vegetation conditions.

 

2. The discussion is not enough, which is the soul of the research paper. More discussions should be added in this manuscript.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I enhanced discussion part,

 

There are also studies indicating the promoting effect of ecological restoration on the environment. Zhong Anya announced that based on natural restoration, the growth rate of NDVI changes is slow; After the implementation of ecological restoration projects, NDVI changes showed a significant upward trend, and vegetation conditions improved significantly. And the proportion of NDVI reduction area in the mining area is the highest [44]. Song haibin conducted an ecological restoration benefit evaluation of the coal mine subsidence area in Jiguan District, Jixi City. The results indicate that after the ecological restoration of the subsidence area, the ecological system structure of the mining area has been well restored, and the ecological system of the mining area has been improved, which has a positive impact on the surrounding environment [45].

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report (Previous Reviewer 4)

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors rightly noted that coal mining in China is of great importance, also in the world. In China, electricity is mainly obtained from burning coal. This means that this country is also responsible for the largest amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. Therefore, the topic is of truly international importance and is evidence of China's efforts to reduce the negative impact.

At this stage of the manuscript, I still feel that the figure descriptions are too sparse and lead to poor understanding of these images.

Figure 1 You need to number the photos from A-F and give a short description of each habitat they show.

Fig.2 You need to number the drawings A-C and describe which areas you are talking about.

 

the authors do not use spaces between numerical data and units, e.g. 100m, it should be 100 m ) pages: 3, 8-13.

for the reader, it is important to know in what language the literature is cited. Especially studies in Chinese are difficult to verify. I am entering this note for the fourth time.

 

I think the manuscript requires minor corrections and after that it is ready for printing

This manuscript is a resubmission of an earlier submission. The following is a list of the peer review reports and author responses from that submission.

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The author's work has a certain degree of innovation and has conducted extensive research on the ecosystem of the Shendong Mining Area. The content is substantial, and the research is solid. However, there are some minor issues, especially regarding the quality of the figures in the paper, which needs overall improvement.

(1) The introduction lacks sufficient description of domestic and international research, only providing an analysis of the current research status of the Shendong Mining Area.

(2) Page 3, Line 105: The abbreviation "net primary productivity (NPP)" only needs to be spelled out the first time it appears. Please check throughout the entire paper.

(3) All figures in the paper need to be revised and checked. The font should be "Times New Roman," and the resolution needs to be improved.

 (4) In "2.1. General Situation of Shendong Mine," supplement the text with information about the location of the study area in China and include on-site photos to enhance the reader's understanding of the region.

(5) Page 5, Lines 168-180: The readability of the symbol explanations is poor and should be consolidated into a single paragraph.

(6) The formulas are not aesthetically pleasing; it's recommended to use MathType for formula editing, and italicize the characters in the main text.

(7) The readability of Figure 3 is too poor; it is recommended to increase the font size of the legend.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of English language required.

Author Response

Revision notes of the paper sustainability- 3216815 (Reviewer 1)

Dear editors and reviewers,

 

Thank you very much for your valuable comments. I have made some changes based on the comments.

 

Response: Thanks for your comments and valuable suggestions. In the revised manuscripts, the authors have addressed the following comments or concerns. All the following issues are resolved, and the manuscripts was thoroughly revised.

College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China

 

1. The introduction lacks sufficient description of domestic and international research, only providing an analysis of the current research status of the Shendong Mining Area.

Response: Thanks for your comments, the introduction has included four parts which consist of the background of coal resource, the impact of coal mining on the environment, the evaluation method of mining area ecology and the study literatures of mining area’s environment. I have added a brief discussion on sustainable development in this part,

 

The sustainable development’s definition has been promulgated after the publication of the Brundtland Commission Report by the World Commission on Environment and Development [4]. The sustainable development means the present development should not break future generations' ability which they can meet their own needs. More specifically, the sustainability economic concept focus on the welfare value of market opportunities hat each generation inherit to the next one [5]. Ecological environment measurement is a factor that determines the level of sustainable socio-economic development. Ecological environment monitoring and evaluation is the foundation of ecological environment early warning and an important basis for formulating national economic development plans and strategies; Quantitative, objective, and systematic evaluation is a prerequisite for determining the sustainable development of mining areas and minimizing their impact to the greatest extent possible [6].

 

2. Page 3, Line 105: The abbreviation "net primary productivity (NPP)" only needs to be spelled out the first time it appears. Please check throughout the entire paper.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have checked entire paper.

 

3. All figures in the paper need to be revised and checked. The font should be "Times New Roman," and the resolution needs to be improved.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have changed font as "Times New Roman," in all figures.

 

 

 

 

4. In "2.1. General Situation of Shendong Mine," supplement the text with information about the location of the study area in China and include on-site photos to enhance the reader's understanding of the region.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I added the location information and provided the photos in the article:

Shendong Mine is located in Ulanmulun Town, Ejin Horo Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. Most of the surface area is covered by aeolian sand, with complex terrain, criss-crossing valleys, and mostly source erosion.

 

 

 

Figure 4 The vegetation situation in Shendong mine

 

5. Page 5, Lines 168-180: The readability of the symbol explanations is poor and should be consolidated into a single paragraph.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have consolidated into a single paragraph:

In this formula, NPP (x, t) is the NPP of pixel x during time period t, (gC/m²); APAR (x, t) is photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by pixel x during time period t, (gC/m²); ε(x, t) is the actual light energy utilization rate of pixel x during time period t, (gC/MJ); SOL (x, t) is the total solar radiation during the time period t at pixel x, (MJ/m²); FPAR (x, t) is the absorption ratio of incident photosynthetically active radiation by the vegetation layer, with a constant of 0.5 representing the proportion of photosynthetically active radiation utilized by vegetation to total solar radiation; Tε1(x, t), Tε2(x, t) are the stress effects of low and high temperatures on light energy utilization efficiency, Wε(x, t) is the coefficient of water stress, and εmax is the maximum light energy utilization efficiency (gC/MJ) under ideal surface vegetation conditions.

 

6. The formulas are not aesthetically pleasing; it's recommended to use MathType for formula editing, and italicize the characters in the main text.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I used MathType to edit the formulas, and italicized the characters in the main text:

In this formula, NPP (x, t) is the NPP of pixel x during time period t, (gC/m²); APAR (x, t) is photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by pixel x during time period t, (gC/m²); ε (x, t) is the actual light energy utilization rate of pixel x during time period t, (gC/MJ); SOL (x, t) is the total solar radiation during the time period t at pixel x, (MJ/m²); FPAR (x, t) is the absorption ratio of incident photosynthetically active radiation by the vegetation layer, with a constant of 0.5 representing the proportion of photosynthetically active radiation utilized by vegetation to total solar radiation; T_ε1(x, t), T_ε2(x, t) are the stress effects of low and high temperatures on light energy utilization efficiency, W_ε(x, t) is the coefficient of water stress, and ε_max is the maximum

 

7. The readability of Figure 3 is too poor; it is recommended to increase the font size of the legend.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I increased the font size of the legend:

Fig. 3 Spatial distribution of vegetation NPP as five-year scale in Shangwan coal mine

 

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper highlights the impact of coal mining on carbon sequestration in mining areas during different periods in the Shandong mining area (China). The author conducted a multi-scale evaluation of the impact of coal mining on the entire region, mining area, and working face, revealing the inevitability and spatiotemporal limitations of the influence of surface vegetation NPP on the scale of working face caused by high-intensity coal mining.  I think this is an interesting and useful topic. However, there are still doubts to be clarified as follows:

 

1. The abstract section of this paper needs to be more concise and to the point. Please highlight the main contributions and conclusions of this article.

 

2. The authors note that the coal economy is associated with environmental sustainability and sustainable development. They need to add a brief discussion on sustainable development to engage the readers.

 

3. Please ask the author to check the formula format in the paper

 

4. Some of the picture in the manuscript are unclear e.g. Figure 6. The authors should have increased the font size

 

5. Language except English should not appear in the figures. Please check all figures in this paper

 

6. Abbreviations that appear for the first time need to be explained e.g. CASA

 

7. What are the theoretical and policy implications of this paper?

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Revision notes of the paper sustainability- 3216815 (Reviewer 2)

Dear editors and reviewers,

 

Thank you very much for your valuable comments. I have made some changes based on the comments.

 

Response: Thanks for your comments and valuable suggestions. In the revised manuscripts, the authors have addressed the following comments or concerns. All the following issues are resolved, and the manuscripts was thoroughly revised.

College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China

 

1. The abstract section of this paper needs to be more concise and to the point. Please highlight the main contributions and conclusions of this article.

Response: Thanks for your comments, the structure and content has been improved in Abstract part:

 

Abstract: This article takes Shangwan coal mine in Shendong Mining as the research area and evaluates the impact of vegetation net primary productivity (NPP) in the mining area based on the multi-scale research unit of working face. The probability integral model (PIM) was employed to analyze the spatiotemporal variation characteristics and mining impact laws of surface vegetation NPP in the entire Shangwan coal mine and working face impact zone. A vegetation NPP impact assessment scheme based on working face and annual mining impact spatiotemporal scales, as well as impact distance and duration evaluation parameters, were proposed, and multi-scale evaluation results of vegetation NPP in the mining area were obtained. (1) The vegetation NPP in the Shangwan mining has shown a fluctuating growth trend over the past 24 years. The annual average variation range of NPP is 98.5-280.7 gC/m², with an average annual value of 198.8 gC/m². (2) From the analysis of the impact zone of the fourth district, the impact patterns of underground mining area, subsidence area, and vegetation NPP above the mining area were revealed for each mining year. (3) From the impact of mining on the 12401-working face in 2018, the impact distance of mining on surface vegetation NPP is 300-400 meters, and the impact duration is 3-4 years. It reveals that the vegetation NPP on the surface of the entire coal mine area is not significantly affected by underground mining, and the vegetation NPP in the affected area of the mining area shows a temporal variation pattern of "first increasing, then decreasing, then increasing again, and tending to stabilize." due to mining. The research results have comprehensively revealed the degree and characteristics of the impact of underground mining on surface vegetation from dif-ferent evaluation scales, providing a basis for effective management of the mining area envi-ronment.

 

2. The authors note that the coal economy is associated with environmental sustainability and sustainable development. They need to add a brief discussion on sustainable development to engage the readers.

Response: Thanks for your comments, the environmental sustainability and sustainable development has been described in the introduction part:

The sustainable development’s definition has been promulgated after the publication of the Brundtland Commission Report by the World Commission on Environment and Development [2]. The sustainable development means the present development should not break future generations' ability which they can meet their own needs. More specifically, the sustainability economic concept focus on the welfare value of market opportunities hat each generation inherit to the next one [3].

 

3. Please ask the author to check the formula format in the paper

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have checked the formula format and the number.

 

4. Some of the picture in the manuscript are unclear e.g. Figure 6. The authors should have increased the font size

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have changed the figure in the article:

 

 

 

5. Language except English should not appear in the figures. Please check all figures in this paper

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have changed language in the figure:

 

 

6. Abbreviations that appear for the first time need to be explained e.g. CASA

Response: Thanks for your comments, the abbreviations has been explained.

In response to the current high-intensity mining conditions of wide working faces and high mining heights in the Shendong mining area, as well as the arid and semi-arid meteorological conditions, aeolian sand and valley landforms, and sparse shrub and grass-land ecological conditions in the coal mine area, the CASA (Carnegie-Ames-Stanford approach) model was used to calculate the vegetation NPP values of the study area from 2000 to 2023.

 

7. What are the theoretical and policy implications of this paper?

Response: Thanks for your comments, this article analyzes the spatial distribution patterns of NPP in various mines based on different characteristics. Through by combining PIM model to analyze the spatiotemporal variation characteristics and mining impact laws of surface vegetation NPP in the entire Shangwan coal mine and working face impact zone. A vegetation NPP impact assessment scheme based on working face and annual mining impact spatiotemporal scales, as well as impact distance and duration evaluation parameters, were proposed, and multi-scale evaluation results of vegetation NPP in the mining area were obtained.

In addition, this article results of this article contribute to providing more suitable methods for improving the ecosystem of mining areas, which also have reference significance for vegetation NPP research in mining areas with similar terrain and landforms.

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper focuses on the characteristics of high-intensity mining and arid semi-arid environment mining areas, and comprehensively reveals the impact of high-intensity mining in coal mines on surface vegetation NPP through the evaluation of various scales such as coal mining areas and working faces; Obtained multiple characteristics that affect mining impacts at different scales; The spatiotemporal impact parameters of the impact of mining on vegetation NPP were proposed. The content of the paper is complete and has good innovation. The modification suggestions are as follows:

 

(1) Briefly introduce the PIM model in paragraph 2

 

(2) The “coal” names used in the paper should be distinguished from the “coal mining area” names e.g. “Shendong Shangwan Mine” should be changed as “Shangwan Mine of Shendong mine district”

 

(3) Abbreviated words should not be repeatedly explained e.g. “NDVI Normalized Difference Vegetation Index)” should be changed as “NDVI”.

 

(4) The format of formulas (3), (4), and (5) is not standardized and should be represented by using a formula editor.

 

(5) Conclusion（4） should be described based on the specific situation of Shangwan mining area

 

(6) Please elaborate on future research directions in detail.

Author Response

Revision notes of the paper sustainability- 3216815 (Reviewer 3)

Dear editors and reviewers,

 

Thank you very much for your valuable comments. I have made some changes based on the comments.

 

Response: Thanks for your comments and valuable suggestions. In the revised manuscripts, the authors have addressed the following comments or concerns. All of the following issues are resolved and the manuscripts was thoroughly revised.

College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China

 

1. Briefly introduce the PIM model in paragraph 2

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have included the PIM model in paragraph 2:

The probability integral model is a model used to evaluate deformation prediction in mining areas. It determines the correlation and sensitivity of model parameters by conducting stepwise regression analysis on the relevant parameters of deformation in mining areas. It helps to determine key parameters such as subsidence coefficient and main influence tangent, which are crucial for accurately predicting deformation in mining areas.

Subsidence:
	(9)

In the formula: W_cm is the maximum surface subsidence value during full mining; r is main im-pact radius; D is mining area (Considering inflection point offset); x,y are the relative coordinate of the point.

 

 

2. The “coal” names used in the paper should be distinguished from the“coal mining area” names e.g. “Shendong Shangwan Mine” should be changed as “Shangwan Mine of Shendong mine district”

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have changed “shangwan mine” to “Shengwan coal mine”; changed “Shendong coal mining area” to “Shendong mine”.

 

 

3. Abbreviated words should not be repeatedly explained e.g. “NDVI Normalized Difference Vegetation Index)” should be changed as “NDVI”.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have deleted the “Normalized Difference Vegetation Index” at discussion part.

 

4. The format of formulas (3), (4), and (5) is not standardized and should be represented by using a formula editor.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have changed the formula format:

 

5. Conclusion（4） should be described based on the specific situation of Shangwan mining area

Response: Thanks for your comments, the conclusion (4) has been improved:

Through multi-scale evaluation of the impact of coal mining on the entire area, mining area, and working face, the inevitability and spatiotemporal impact limits of the influence of surface vegetation NPP on the working face scale caused by high-intensity mining in coal mines were revealed. Based on the specific conditions of Shangwan coal mine, the impact of mining factors on vegetation NPP is not significant across the entire region and long-term time series, and the effects on different evaluation scales are inconsistent. The research results can provide a basis for precise ecological evaluation and rational governance in coal mining areas.

 

6. Please elaborate on future research directions in detail

Response: Thanks for your comments, further research can focus on analyzing the effects of various influencing factors on vegetation NPP. Specifically study the impact of meteorological and mining factors on the extreme values of NPP. For example, analyze the driving factors that had the greatest impact on NPP values in 2001 and 2019 in the article. Study the impact and relationship of each factor on vegetation NPP at different scales.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear Editors and Authors,

 

Manuscript: Multi scale evaluation of the impact of high-intensity mining 2 on vegetation carbon sequestration capacity.

 

The authors raise a very interesting and current problem of the impact of hard coal mining on the ability of plants to sequester CO2. In general, it can be assumed that the manuscript has a correct structure and organization. Interestingly, the authors do not raise any international experiences in this issue. Perhaps this results from the assessment that China is the largest consumer of hard coal and produces the most CO2 into the atmosphere. Is it about Chinese responsibility or do the authors not have international experience?

 

Introduction

In the introduction, as in the entire manuscript, only Chinese literature is used. I propose to add others. In my country, there is also a rich history of coal mining and numerous studies are conducted on environmental changes:

 

-          World steam coal management; DOI: 10.24425/gsm.2021.137564,

-          Impact of mining subsidence on the relief of the Rybnik Plateau, Poland,     DOI: 10.1127/0372-8854/2011/0055S1-0035,

In this chapter the research area is indicated but without information where it is located. We know that it is in China but another reader will not understand it.

 

Material and methods

 

In this chapter, the authors introduce some information about the research area. They provide a number of important pieces of information, such as annual coal production, annual rainfall, and evaporation. These data are not supported by any citations. Much of this information is described by the adjectives large, medium, and small - unfortunately, these are studies in environmental engineering, not a military technical academy. It is impossible to understand the analyses carried out further without a correct description of morphology, geology, and hydrography, and importantly, climate.

Figure 1, which was created on the basis of DTM, does not contain any location data, as the authors refer to in this chapter. It is not a topographic map, but at most a hypsometric one. Such errors undermine the credibility of the analyses conducted by the authors, if their education in geography is insufficient.

Further patterns and assumptions of analytical models emerge. We have to believe that the authors know what they are doing, because the citations are few and it follows that they constructed most of the formulas themselves.

 

a chapter (3.2.3) cannot begin with the words: Figure 9 shows

The commentary to figure 9 (line 345-347) suggests that it includes an orientation in space (east, west). But there are no such markings on the figure.

The results, like the input data, are pleasantly surprising. Coal mining does not have a significant impact on vegetation. The impact of dry and desert climate conditions is signaled earlier. The considered vegetation growths in the results are described in a 3-year cycle. Meanwhile, there are also trees whose growth cycle is much longer.

Mentioning only Chinese works in this part indicates that the authors only see Asians among their readers. This is quite an arrogant attitude if they submitted the manuscript to Sustainability magazine. In general, the use of literature is the weakest point of this manuscript. Out of 26 items are Chinese. After checking, it turns out that only some of them are in English. This is also an argument that the article should be published in some regional Chinese magazine.

authors do not use spaces for area and length units

 

 

Author Response

Revision notes of the paper sustainability- 3216815 (Reviewer 4)

Dear editors and reviewers,

 

Thank you very much for your valuable comments. I have made some changes based on the comments.

 

Response: Thanks for your comments and valuable suggestions. In the revised manuscripts, the authors have addressed the following comments or concerns. All of the following issues are resolved and the manuscripts was thoroughly revised.

College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China

 

1. Introduction

 

• In the introduction, as in the entire manuscript, only Chinese literature is used. I propose to add others. In my country, there is also a rich history of coal mining and numerous studies are conducted on environmental changes:

World steam coal management; DOI: 10.24425/gsm.2021.137564,

Impact of mining subsidence on the relief of the Rybnik Plateau, Poland, DOI: 10.1127/0372-8854/2011/0055S1-0035,

Response: Thanks for your comments, I added these two literatures in article.

For many years, developing economies in Asia have been the main consumers of coal worldwide, while at the same time developed economies (especially EU countries) have moved away from the commodity; this is the main factor leading to the change in global thermal coal trade trends [1]. The main reason for the excessive carbon dioxide emissions in China at present is the extensive burning of fossil fuels. Due to China's resource structure characterized by a shortage of oil and gas, as well as relatively abundance in coal, coal has become the main energy source in China [2].

 

There are also studies emphasizing that inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi can increase plant biomass and effectively improve rhizosphere soil quality, targeting surface environments in areas such as the Shendong coalfield subsidence zone and the Maowusu sandy land coal mining subsidence zone [16-19]. Dulias R. studied the mining subsidence effect on Rybnik Plateau's relief. The results showed several areas' lowering rates are generally higher than estimated rates. The direct and indirect human activities decided the terrain changes in dozen years [20].

 

• In this chapter the research area is indicated but without information where it is located. We know that it is in China but another reader will not understand it.

Response: Thanks for your comments, the location of research area has been introduced at “2.1. General Situation of Shendong Mine”: Shendong Mine is located in Ulanmulun Town, Ejin Horo Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. Most of the surface area is covered by aeolian sand, with complex terrain, crisscrossing valleys, and mostly source erosion.

 

2. Material and methods

 

• In this chapter, the authors introduce some information about the research area. They provide a number of important pieces of information, such as annual coal production, annual rainfall, and evaporation. These data are not supported by any citations. Much of this information is described by the adjectives large, medium, and small - unfortunately, these are studies in environmental engineering, not a military technical academy. It is impossible to understand the analyses carried out further without a correct description of morphology, geology, and hydrography, and importantly, climate.

Response: Thanks for your comments, the data citations in the article 2.2:

Meteorological data includes precipitation, sunshine hours, temperature, etc., all sourced from the National Earth System Science Data Center.

DEM data is sourced from the Geospatial Data Cloud（ https://www.gscloud.cn/ ）ASTER GDEM elevation data.

The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is derived from the Landsat 5, 7, and 8 series. The data is processed based on the GEE (Google Earth Engine) platform for the years 2000-2023.

 

The information I described as: “production capacity is 13 million tons per year”; “The surface subsidence value is large”; “the surface cracks are severely damaged”; “altitude of 1137.7-1295.5m”; “cold and long winters, hot and short summers, dry and windy summers in spring and autumn, and significant changes in meteorological elements.”; “the average annual rainfall has been 300-400mm, and the average annual evaporation has been 2160mm”. Only one “large” to describe the surface subsidence, other factors I just used numbers to display. Moreover, I checked the description of morphology and geology again.

 

 

• Figure 1, which was created on the basis of DTM, does not contain any location data, as the authors refer to in this chapter. It is not a topographic map, but at most a hypsometric one. Such errors undermine the credibility of the analyses conducted by the authors, if their education in geography is insufficient.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have added the location of shendong mine (Ulanmulun Town, Ejin Horo Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia)

 

 

• Further patterns and assumptions of analytical models emerge. We have to believe that the authors know what they are doing, because the citations are few and it follows that they constructed most of the formulas themselves.

Response: Thanks for your comments, there are three models are used in this article, which include CASA model, NPP mutation test model and PIM model. The CASA model is to calculate vegetation NPP in Shangwan coal mine. The NPP mutation test model is to determine whether there are NPP mutations in the NPP sequence, so that to analysis the impact distance and duration of mining on surface vegetation NPP. The PIM model is to calculate the subsidence value in Fourth district of Shangwan coal mine, which can instead of the impact of mining activities.

 

3. a chapter (3.2.3) cannot begin with the words: Figure 9 shows

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have fixed the text,

This part analyses the distribution curve of the vegetation NPP change rate of each block above the mining section of 12401 working face from 2018 to 2023 relative to 2017 (figure 10).

 

4. The commentary to figure 9 (line 345-347) suggests that it includes an orientation in space (east, west). But there are no such markings on the figure.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I have marked the block number W (West) 1-10, M (middle) 1-6 and E (East) 1-4 in figure 6 (b), and marked W and E in legend of figure 8. Moreover, the block number in figure 6, 8, 9 are same meaning.

 

Figure.6 (b)

Figure 8. Annual rate of change of vegetation NPP in the western area of Face 12401 mining affected area

 

5. Mentioning only Chinese works in this part indicates that the authors only see Asians among their readers. This is quite an arrogant attitude if they submitted the manuscript to Sustainability magazine. In general, the use of literature is the weakest point of this manuscript. Out of 26 items are Chinese. After checking, it turns out that only some of them are in English. This is also an argument that the article should be published in some regional Chinese magazine.

Response: Thanks for your comments, I noticed this is a very serious issue. After I fixed this article, there are 24 literatures and 6 international items, which may still not enough. In this article, however, I always focus on the specific impact of mining activities on surface vegetation from a multi-scale perspective. Therefor, some methods and background research I conducted extensive research on familiar Chinese coal mines, which lead to lack of international perspective. I sincerely hope that you can give me the opportunity to publish this article. I will keep your suggestions in mind and make changes in my next article.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx